If a popularity contest were to be held
for local divorce lawyers, jovial Patrick
Dragga, 63, certainly would come out a
winner. Loved by clients and universally
respected by peers, Dragga has built what
is arguably the most influential divorce
firm in Rockville. His highly regarded
team of eight divorce lawyers would be
even more impressive if three of his partners hadn’t left over the years to become
Montgomery County Circuit Court
judges. Peers often mention all three of
Dragga’s current name partners—
Jeffrey Hannon, Kevin Hessler and Vincent Wills—as among the most effective
divorce lawyers in Montgomery County.

Suzy EcKStEin

Oakley & Eckstein, Rockville
301-424-8081 | www.oakleyeckstein.com

Suzy Eckstein, 52, is the daughter of Harvey A. Jacobs, who was one of Montgomery County’s best known attorneys
before he retired. Eckstein, who worked
with her father for 10 years, absorbed his
considerable legal wisdom and insight
about family law. “It was from him that I
learned how important it is to work with
other lawyers, and how much you can
win by honoring your word,” she says.
Colleagues praise her ability to practice
collaborative law, which she prefers. But
versatility is her strength. She was the
winning attorney in a landmark appeals
court ruling that made it easier for a
short-time spouse to collect indefinite alimony. “Suzy is bright, funny, patient and
smart,” says recent courtroom opponent
Geoffrey Platnick. “I couldn’t begin to say
enough wonderful things about her.”

darryl FEldman &annE mariE JacKSon

Ain & Bank, Washington, D.C.

202-530-3300 | www.ainbanklaw.com

The main offices of divorce lawyers
Darryl Feldman, 44, and Anne Marie Jackson, 44, are in downtown Washington,
D.C., and their firm is one of the city’s
best known and most successful. But
Feldman and Jackson constantly appear
in Montgomery County courts. Both
lawyers receive high marks from their
peers and have trained under two of the
best in the D.C.-area divorce business:
Sanford Ain and Rita Bank. Trained as
a certified public accountant, Feldman
is renowned for his financial acumen
and is recognized by peers as one of the
better attorneys for writing unbreakable prenups. The versatile Jackson is an
excellent litigator who also can go the
collaborative route. She has written and
lectured on the rights of grandparents in
divorce situations.

mary EllEn Flynn

Andalman & Flynn, Silver Spring

301-563-6685 | www.andalmanflynn.com

There’s more than just a classic NewYork City accent to Mary Ellen Flynn,a Queens native who arrived in SilverSpring after graduation from Ameri-can University’s Washington College ofLaw about 30 years ago. Experienced infinding assets and collecting alimonyfrom deadbeat former spouses, Flynnalso specializes in what she calls “clue-less spouse” cases, in which one partyhas no idea about the couple’s finances.In handling a divorce, she is all businessin her signature New York style. “I liketo pick people up, dust them off, andsend them on their way again,” she says.“If they want to stay in their house, I canfind a way to make that happen. If it hassour memories and they want to get thehouse sold, we can do that, too.”

JEFFrEy grEEnBlatt

Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, Rockville

240-399-7900 | www.jgllaw.com

Jeffrey Greenblatt, 66, is not a go-along-to-get-along attorney. He is combative, difficult and feisty, but passionately
devoted to getting the best deal for his
clients by whatever method possible. His
refusal to settle cases on terms that opponents believe are “reasonable” is often
frustrating to his legal foes. “I defend
my clients’ rights to the fullest extent of
the law and will litigate any case if I feel
the other side is trying to take advantage
or bulldoze my client,” he says defiantly.
Some sense that an acrimonious departure from his old firm and his recent
divorce have mellowed Greenblatt, a
perception he doesn’t encourage.

monica HarmS

Stein Sperling, Rockville

301-838-3230 | www.steinsperling.com

A California native, Monica Harms got
interested in becoming a lawyer while
watching Perry Mason reruns as a child
and has never wanted to be anything
else. The daughter of two educators,
Harms came to Rockville after graduating from The George Washington University Law School, and interning with
a Montgomery County judge where
she gained experience supervising the
Domestic Violence Assistance Project
for the Montgomery County Circuit
Court. She won a hard-fought custody
case for a father whose year-old son was
moved by the mother to the Midwest
without his consent. Harms is among
those in the elite tier of private attorneys